Electroprocessing machine



2, 1940- s. TODD I V ELEGTROPROCESSING MACHINE Filed Jan. 21, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 iii! a Illl'lll l llllll o L\ N m .fmremar QUE/PIN TODD 1; Q ax) A 2,1940. G. TODD ELECTROPROCESSING MACHINE Filed Jan. 21, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 .62 2/672 tar Gl/EE/N 7000 Attorneys April 2, 1940. a. TODD ELECTROPROCESSING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 21. 1938 2 a. a v 0 w n mm W... n I MN 2 2 n f A I I R I M. .Z G 3 4 .1 a i w W m a 2 w m. 2 m

ZZZ

- enema Apr 2,

PA-TENT o r-ma I 2,196,131 mornornocn'ssmc monmn Guerin Todd, Shrewsbury, N. J assignor to Ban son-Van Winkle-Munning Company, Matawan,

N. J.,-a corporation of New Jersey Application January 21, 1938, serial No; 186,190

f9 C m (01. 214-11) My invention relates to electroprocessing machines. 7'

It is an object of this invention to provide pneumatic or hydraulic elevating and lowering means for the carrier arms, and pneumatic or hydraulic shifter means for simultaneously shifting through the elevator, both the carrier arms in engagement with the elevator and those not engaged with the elevator, that is by shifting the carried chains through the elevator.

It is an object of this invention to provide a vertically moving elevator that also reciprocates, and by its reciprocation, advances the transverse horizontal conveyor means appro- "15 priate steps so that the elevator is utilized as a common means for raising and lowering the carrier arms and for also shifting them bodily as a unit, horizontally.

It is an object to provide an elevator that 9,0 selectively elevates certain carrier arms and lowers others, while it is also capable of moving all of the carrier arms a predetermined hori zontal distance.

It is an object to provide sucha hydraulic gand pneumatic shifting means which eliminates the necessity for any motor drives, or other mechanical means of imparting horizontal or vertical movement to the several parts of the electroprocessing machine.

30 It is a further object of the invention to proelectroprocessing machine of this invention with a portion of the tanks in section, and a portion of the chain guide rail'and vertical carrier guides broken away;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of Figure 1 show- 45 ing a part of the supports for the guide rails broken away, with a portion of the elevator mechanism in section; Figure 3 is asection on the line 33 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a detail side elevation of the top carrier chain, the top of the elevator and the means of engaging with the vertical guides for the carrier arms by the elevator to bring about u horizontal shifting;

Figure 5 isa section on the line 5-5 of Figure 4, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 6 is a side elevation partially broken away showing the method of support of the side arms within, the carrier block that is mounted 5 upon the vertical guides; v

Figure 7 is a plan view of a typical electro processing treatment cycle indicating the arrangement of the tanks;

Figure 8. is a vertical section through one 10 of the elevator plates showing the latch means for picking up a carrier block with its side arm from its lower position v 'gure 91s a perspective of the weighted latch; Figure 10 is a section of the line l0-|0 of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows, showing how the elevator is guided vertically on the upright standards;

Figure 11 is a section on the line Il-ll of 1 Figure 10, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Referring to the drawings in detail, I and 2 indicate vertical standards of a framework.

3 designates horizontal floor pieces upon which 80 rest the tanks 4 and 5.' The horizontally disposedchains l9 and 20, which are mounted uponthe sprockets I1 and I8, are connected together by the vertically disposed pairs of guide rods 25. These chains v travel in upper guiderails 2| and 22, and in lower guide rails 30 and 3t.

.The transverse guide rails for the carriers 25 are provided with heads 24 at the top, and 20 at the bottom. On these rodsare mounted the blocks 26, which are provided with the rollers 21 and 28. These blocks 26 carry the side arms 3|.- These side arms 31 carry the work carriers 38, that are connected by cables 39 to spring pressed contact shoe 38, which is supported by the bracket 34.

- The block 26 is provided on its back with a projecting lug 20i that has a cam surface 202 on its under side. A pivoted weighted latch hook 203 is adapted to have its nose 204 project beneath this lug 20l. When it does so, this nose 1 204 projects through the opening 205 in the The latch I tance. Then the elevators lower the arms they have picked up. The elevator shifter is returned to its initial position, and is ready to pick up a new set of arms.

When this occurs, the shifters 206, of which there is a pair, have been shifting on the ball bearing 2 in the --elevator frame 2l2 that is guided vertically by the rollers 2l3 on the guide rails 214 on the vertical members I and 2. This elevator frame 2I2 carries a transverse shaft 2|5 with pinions 2l4a engaging with racks 2l5a carried by the respective elevator shifters 206, so that when one elevator is movedin one direction to move the carrier arms in one direction, the other elevator shifter will be moving in the other direction an equal amount with the oppositecarrier arms.

This shifting is brought about by the pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder 2l6, which is supplied with fluid pressure through the pipes 2H and Mia. The cylinder is mounted upon the elevator frame 2l2. Its piston rod 2|8 is connected to the bracket Hi! to one of the shifters 206.

The elevating means for the elevator consists of piston rods 220 operated by pistons 22l in the lifting cylinders 222, which are supplied with fluid pressure 223 from a suitable source. Thus the elevators are lifted for giving vertical movement to the carrier arms 31 on the guide rods 25. When the elevator is in its uppermost position, it is actuated by the cylinder 2i6 and piston rod2l8 to move it tow the right, which results in the angle irons 2l0 pushing the carriers and the chains I9 and 20 a given distance horizontally.-

Then the elevator is lowered and the carrier arms are disposed in their lower position having been advanced one step. Thereupon the shifters on the elevator 206 are returned to their initial positions, ready for another latch engagement with another set of carrier arms to lift them and transport them over the adjacent partitions between the tanks 4 and 5.

Thus this machine is characterized by the fact that it has (a) means for elevating the carrier arms selectively as only those arms opposite the latches are elevated; (b) it has means on the elevator for moving the selected arms when in an elevated position, and all the rest of the arms in a lower position, equally a given horizontal distance (0) it has means for lowering the elevator and the selected arms and means for returning the elevator to its new left handposition for another cycle of operations.

Referring to Figure 14, this illustrates diagrammatically one form of control for the raising, lowering and lateral shifting of the elevator. The pressure tank 225, which may alternatively be an accumulator, supplies fluid pres sure to the lifting cylinders 222 through pipes 223 as heretofore described. Fluid pressure is supplied to the tank 225 through the pipe 226. Fluid pressure is also supplied from the tank 225 through the pipe 221, valve 228, rotor 229 and pipes 2|! and 2l'la, to the lateral shifting cylinder 2l6. Connected to the rotor 229 is the lever 230 which is connected to the lever 23| by the link 232. This lever system is controlled by the raising and lowering of .the elevator 205 so that the lateral shifting movement will be timed are numerous different ways by which the movement of hydraulically liftingband lowering and hydraulically shifting may be accomplished. Either air or fluid may be utilized.

It will be understood that I desire to comprehend withii! my invention such modifications as may be necessary to adapt it to varying conditions and uses.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a machine for supporting and conveying work pieces along while processing the same, a plurality of spaced carriers, a plurality of successively arranged tanks, means for moving said carriers as a unit, common means comprising an elongated elevator member for raising and lowering the carriers as the same advance adjacent the end walls of the tanks through which they are moved for transferring them from one tank into an adjacent tank, and means associated with the elevator for shifting the carriers which are elevated and those which are in lowered position horizontally as a unit before the carriers that are elevated are lowered.

2. In a machine for conveying work pieces along while processing the same, a plurality of spaced carriers, means comprising an elongated elevator which extends over said carriers for selecting and elevating said carriers as they approach the end of their process treatment, said .elevator being adapted to move vertically and horizontally intermittently, means associated with said elevator for moving all of the carriers horizontally while some of said carriers are in elevated position, and means for returning said elevator to its initial position.

3. In combination, a pair of spaced chains, carrier guides interconnecting said chains, carriers mounted thereon, an elevator between said chains adapted to move horizontally and vertically intermittently, means thereon for selecting and elevating a certain portion of said carriers, means on said elevator for engaging with the carrier guides to move said chains horizontally therealong with all of the carriers, while a portion of the carriers are in elevated position, and means for returning said elevator to its initial position. I

4. In a machine for conveying work pieces to v be processed, a plurality of carrier arms, means comprising an endless movable member for transporting said arms in spaced predetermined horizontal relationship including means to guide said arms vertically while engaged with said endless movable member, and means comprising an elongated elevator reciprocable vertically and horizontally for elevating selectively said arms and means associated with said elevator to shift it horizontally moving all of the arms horizontally a predetermined distance.

5. In combination, in a machine for conveying work pieces to be processed, a plurality of tanks arranged in an orbital path, work piece carriers mounted upon a frame support structure ad-.

jacentsaid tanks and arranged to be positioned in and out o! the tanks, common means comprising an elevator for intermittently moving said carriers horizontally subsequent to selectively elevatingthe carriers as they approach the end zontally to a new position with respect to said wall of the tank in which they have been previously lowered, and retaining them in raised position whiiyall 01' said carriers are moved horitanks.

6.' In combination, in a conveyor type processing machine, a plurality of tanks, carriers mounted in spaced relationship upon an endless conveyer adjacent said tanks,,means for moving said carriers and conveyer horizontally as a unit, elevator means for selectively elevating certain oi the carriers and means responsive to the vertical movement of said-elevator'to shift said elevator horizontally. for eii'ecting the horizontal movement oi all of said carriers when said elevator is in raised position, and means for lowering said elevator and previouslyelevated carriers.

7. In an electroprocessing machine, a central framework, a series of tanks on either side, car-, rier arms projecting over said tanks from said framework, upper and lower chains on said framework carrying said arms, vertical guides between said chains ior guiding said arms vertically, a vertical and horizontal moving elevator latch means thereon at intervals attached to engage carriers adjacent the partitions of the tanks, means for elevating said elevator, means for moving said elevator horizontally and means associated therewith for moving all of the carrier arms equally during said horizontal movement,

said elevator having two sections and being so.

arranged that when one section thereof moves ,in one direction the other section moves an equal distance in the opposite direction.

8. In a machine for supporting and conveying work pieces along while processing the same, a pair of spaced endless movable members, work piece carrier guides interconnecting said endless movable members, carriers mounted thereon, an

elevator between said endless movable members adapted to move horizontally and vertically intermittently and selectively elevating a certain portion of said carriers, and means on said elevator for engaging with the carrier guides to move said endless movable members horizontally v circulatory members horizontally therealong with the attached carriers while a portion of the carriers is in elevated position, and means for returning said elevator to its initial position.

GUERIN TODD. 

